Pandora's Vengeance

Chapter 5

   On the way home, my eyes slowly began to water and soon enough, tears were blurring my vision of the road. I pulled into a McDonald's- not the one Ivy works at- and let the little drops of water stream down my face.
   The weather outside was perfect for crying, cloudy and raining. I turned off the wind shield wipers and let the fat rain drops fall harshly on the glass in front of me. The windows were finally all blurred out, masking my crying face from the outside.
   I sat there for a good two hours, crying, then stopping just to start again. Everything that had happened at Thanos' house overwhelmed me so much and I just couldn't keep it in any longer.
   Finally, my phone started buzzing from the passenger's seat where I had tossed it. I tensed, thinking it might be Thanos who figured out that I was missing, but no. It was Ivy.
    I cleared my throat before answering the phone, attempting to mask my sorrow from my best friend. "Hello?" I answered, doing my best to sound fine.
   "Where the hell are you? Your mom called me asking me if you were at my place and I said yes to not get your ass in trouble. You're welcome, by the way." she answered, half screaming, half with a time of concern.
   "I'm fine. I'm just running a little late getting home that's all."
   "That's all? Cal do you even know what time it is?" Ivy asked, acting the mother she is destined to be.
   "Yea," I glanced at the built-in clock of the car," It's 2:30. I'm not even that late. It's just been a day..." I answered, clearly not understanding Ivy's and my mother's worries.
   "A day?!" she pressed, "You've been at Thanos' for three days, going onto four!"
   Three days?! How can that be? Did I seriously get knocked out for two days? With this new information, I burst out into tears, letting out whatever was left inside me.
   "Cal, what's going on? Are you okay? What happened back at Thanos'?"
   "Ivy, it's just so much. I wish I could tell you but I'm not even sure what's going on. I think I should figure it out myself before I tell you." I finally said.
   "Okay, I'll give you some space. But the minute you figure everything out, you call me okay?" she insisted.
    "Who else would I tell?" I assured, trying to lighten the mood.
   "I don't know, but maybe you should call your poor mother to tell her you're okay. She's been calling the Verras' and Thanos has always been picking up saying that you were staying for another day." Ivy explained
   "Okay, thanks for the heads up. I'll give my mom a call on my way home."
    After hanging up with Ivy, I rebooted the car and drove out of the McDonald's parking lot with- surprise, surprise- two medium fries.

   On my way home I did my best to not think about everything that has happened. I tried everything: singing along to every song on the radio, having a nice chat with Siri, and guessing what my family and I were going to have for dinner. But nothing worked. The memories of what Thanos told me kept creeping up on me, and when I thought I was thinking of nothing at all, that was what I was talking to myself about.

   Finally after a what seemed like never ending drive home, I pulled up into my driveway, avoiding the familiar cracks in the inclining pavement.

   I slammed my door closed and the moment I looked up and saw my mother standing in front of the door, her hands on her hips. She did not look like she was in a good mood. I wonder why...

   I slowed my pace to delay as much as possible the trouble I was going to get in. Looks like I wasn't slow enough.

   My mother's face went from her usual pale skin tone to burning red with rage in a matter of seconds.

   Nope, absolutely not slow enough.

   Maybe if I dash back into my car, I could escape the torment.

   No, that would just get me into more trouble. I might as well take it in now so I don't have to see her get even more enraged and double the screaming. No, definitely not escaping.